DESCRIBING MOTION

Unit 3
MODULE 1
• Many of the things around us
move. Some move slowly like the
turtles and clouds, others move
much more quickly like the
satellites. Because motion is so
common, it seems to be very
simple. But in science, describing
motion actually entails careful use
of some definitions.
• This module provides you with scientific
knowledge and skills necessary to describe
motion along a straight path. You will
learn to describe the motion of objects in
terms of position, distance travelled, and
speed. You will also learn to analyze or
represent motion of objects using charts,
diagrams, and graphs. While these all
provide the same information about the
motion of objects, you will find out that
one may be more helpful than the other
depending on your particular objective.
• At the end of this module, you are expected
to answer the following questions:

• When can we say that an object is in

motion?
• How do we describe the motion of an
object?
• Where?
• Before you will be able to describe the
motion of an object, you must first be able
to tell exactly where it is positioned.
Describing exact position entails two ideas:
describing how far the object is from the
point of reference and describing its
direction relative to that point of reference.
You will learn about the importance of point
of reference and direction when you
perform Activity 1.